"Yesterday set us 10 years back — now we are criminals," said Samuel "Shyam" Konnur, the senior coordinator of the LGBT activist group Payana and the organizer of Wednesday’s protest outside Bangalore's Town Hall that saw hundreds of activists and garnered the attention of Bangalore media.

Established in 1861, Section 377 defines "carnal intercourse against the order of nature with man or women or animal" as criminal with a possible fine and up to 10 years’ imprisonment.

"The Supreme Court has failed us," said Vinay Chandran, executive director of Swabhava, an NGO that deals with LGBT issues. "This is not a time to cry; this is a time to be angry."